DROP A PIN, WE'LL FIND YOU

Cell phone technology can be a tremendous asset for first responders, particularly during search and rescue operations in remote areas. On Sept. 29, game wardens responded to a rescue call on the Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area after a caller informed them he had been out scouting for ducks when his truck got stuck in rising water, which was entering the cab of his vehicle. The victim was rescued shortly after dropping a pin from his phone that helped game wardens quickly reach his location. Once the wrecker service got the man’s vehicle to high ground, the wardens asked to see the driver's Annual Public Hunting Lands permit, which is required to enter the management area. He was unable to produce a permit, and had not registered at the gate. A marijuana odor was coming from his vehicle. A small amount of marijuana was found, along with 108 grams of Xanax. He was arrested and placed in the Freestone County Jail.

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Opening day of duck season near Rockport with Texas Game Wardens.
David Sikes, Corpus Christi Caller-Times

FACEBOOK UNRAVELS POACHERS

When crafting a hunting story on social media, pay attention to the timeline. Game wardens noticed a Trinity County man posted information about a white-tailed buck he claimed to have taken on Nov. 4. A quick check revealed the individual actually purchased his hunting license the day after the kill. Wardens continued monitoring the subject’s Facebook page, where the man wrote about his finished taxidermy mount of the deer's antlers. So the wardens paid him a visit. Wardens arrived at the residence and asked to see the man's hunting license. The hunting license was missing a mule deer tag, and the harvest log revealed the hunter killed a doe on the same day it was purchased. Wardens already knew a buck was killed and asked to see the head. The hunter led the wardens to the living room of the home where a European mount was displayed on the wall. According to the man, he had killed the buck on Nov. 4, and received the mount back the next day. After a short interview, wardens determined the buck was taken on Oct. 23 with a rifle during the archery-only season. Multiple cases were filed as well as civil restitution.

SNAPCHAT POACHING

Texas Game Wardens act as weighmasters during a Warrior's Weekend Heroes Cup at Baffin Bay.(Photo: David Sikes/Caller-Times)

After posting a Snapchat video of themselves skinning a white-tailed doe harvested in Angelina County at night and out of season, two young women remained unfazed when game wardens came knocking on their door. Perhaps they thought the visit might boost their story likes. The women readily admitted to riding around and shooting a doe and a fawn the previous night. The doe carcass was found in the front yard wasting away with only the backstraps removed. The shooter claimed she didn’t know how to finish field dressing the deer so she didn’t mess with it. Based on the Snapchat video, she was fairly well-versed in lifting the backstraps. During questioning, the shooter laughed while telling the wardens she had almost missed the shot. She wasn’t laughing after realizing the amount of trouble they were in. Cases are pending.

FOLLOW A FISHY SMELL

A Montgomery County game warden checked on bank fisherman along the San Jacinto River, where two men were fishing without valid fishing licenses. One of the violators claimed to have a fishing license in his car. A warden followed him to his vehicle, where he observed a cooler. Insider the cooler was a skinned catfish that the violator claimed to have bought from two guys upriver. The warden followed the violator to the spot of the purchase, where the warden issued citations to two individuals who admitted selling the fish. The two individuals also had outstanding misdemeanor warrants. They were arrested and booked into the Montgomery County Jail.

Texas Game Wardens are certified state police, whose duties include search, rescue, enforcement of game & fish laws, outreach, and more.(Photo: Contributed)

SACKING UP BULL REDS

Just before dark on Sept. 28, a fisherman notified a Matagorda County game warden about four people on the Matagorda jetties catching oversized redfish, putting them in trash bags and placing them in their SUV. The warden contacted the occupants of the SUV as they were leaving the beach. Upon inspection, wardens found seven oversized red drum, measuring between 35-44 inches long. None of the fish were tagged. After a brief interview, all four individuals admitted to catching the fish. Only three of them had fishing licenses. They all received tickets for possessing oversized, untagged red drum and fishing without a license. Civil restitution is pending.

ROLLING DOWN THE RIVER

Around 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 24, a Fayette County game warden got a call from the sheriff’s office about a woman who had not returned from a kayak trip on the Colorado River. She reached her husband by cell phone and told him she had passed up her take-out point, and her phone battery was almost dead. The warden, accompanied by a local firefighter, used an airboat to locate the woman a little after 1 a.m., some 10 miles past the boat ramp. She was safely taken back and reunited with her husband.

Texas Game Wardens maintain regulations aimed at wildlife and fisheries conservation.(Photo: David Sikes/Caller-Times)

FREE FISHING IN PARKS DOESN'T MEAN ILLEGAL FISHING

Pedernales Falls State Park police officers contacted five men who matched the description of alleged violators reported to have been fishing illegally inside the state park. The subjects were identified and interviewed by park police. The officers found non-game and game fish in a trash bag in the trunk of their car, along with nets and other fishing equipment. The men admitted they caught the fish illegally with cast nets. The officers filed multiple cases along with civil restitution.

Texas game Warden Marty Martin calmly instructs Kari Kelley on how to back up a boat and trailer down a ramp during a Rockport Women in the Wild event.(Photo: David Sikes/Caller-Times)

DOUBLE DOVE DIPPING

On Sept. 26, a La Salle County game warden spotted a group of dove hunters hunting a large field. Instead of checking the group that morning, the warden waited and checked the group that evening at their hunting camp. Many of the men told the warden they had not hunted that morning. Knowing the camp was empty that morning, the warden began searching for extra birds. Six hunters had double limits, but argued they had hunted the previous day at other ranches and were within their possession limit. The warden asked each individual for hunt details from the previous day and promised the hunters that he would look into all the details. Some of the information included a hunt at a ranch in Uvalde County. The warden consulted with a game warden in Uvalde County who reported that hunting activity was very low in that area, casting doubt on the hunters’ claims. After sharing these findings with the hunters, they all confessed to killing double the daily limit of doves that day. Each received citations for exceeding daily limits.